A Ryder man has pleaded guilty to three counts of possession of certain materials prohibited as a part of a plea agreement with Ward County prosecutors.

James Alfred Hagen, 45, entered his change of plea to three of the seven Class C felony counts he was initially charged with at a hearing in North Central District Court on Monday, Dec. 8. The four other counts were dismissed in accordance with a plea agreement. District Court Judge Steven Lautt has ordered a presentence investigation, and Hagen’s sentencing has been scheduled for March 18.

According to court documents, Hagen’s case stemmed from an investigation by Ward County Sheriff’s deputies into eight cybertips received by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. All of the cybertips involved the sharing of 75 images and video determined to be child sexual abuse material (CSAM) over a messaging app from Jan. 28-Dec. 10, 2024.

According to court documents, investigators with the Bureau of Criminal Investigation served subpoenas on four different accounts involved in the exchange of CSAM, which unearthed a video of a man who was determined to be Hagen, whose address also matched an IP address associated with one of the accounts.

Investigators seized 13 of Hagen’s devices as evidence. Hagen admitted in an interview with investigators he used the app to view and share adult pornography, and he would receive “questionable” sexual materials from other users, which he could keep for a period of time.